Why is Shrī Krushna considered an absolute Absolute incarnation?

   

 

1. Origin and meaning

1. Krushṇa (कृष्‍ण): ‘(आ)कर्षणम् करोति इति’ means the one who attracts.

2. Vāsudēv : This is one of the Names of Shrīkrushṇa.
3. He is called Vāsudēv since He is the son of Vasudēv.
4. Vāsu (वासु) + dēv (देव) = Vāsudēv (वासुदेव). Vāsahā (वास:) means sustenance or the reinstatement of sustenance. From among creation, sustenance and dissolution, the Deity who governs sustenance is Vāsudēv.
5. The Deity who bestows the frequencies necessary for life on the earth, to acquire a specific state is Vāsudēv. (Atharvavēda)
6. When āhat and anāhat sound waves travel together with the same speed, their combined path is called Vāsudēv. (Sāmavēda)
7. The state which consists of the combination of sound and light is called Vāsudēv. [Gandharvavēda - Sangitvēda, a sub (upa) - Vēda of the Sāmavēda]

2. Birth

2.1 Date (tithi)

Shrīkrushṇa was born on the eighth day (ashṭamī) of the Hindu lunar month of Shrāvaṇ. Eight is a reducing number (kshayānk). Shrīrām was born on the ninth day (navami) of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra. Nine is a complete number (purnānk). Information on reducing and complete numbers is given under point ‘14. Shrīrām and Shrīkrushṇa’. According to numerology number eight is responsible for generating revolutionary thoughts. It would not be wrong to say that Shrīkrushṇa’s entire life was an era of revolution.

2.2 Incarnations of other deities

Along with  Shrīkrushṇa, other Deities too assume incarnations. Based on this rule, when Shrīvishṇu incarnated as Shrīkrushṇa, what incarnations the other Deities assumed and whose incarnations the others were, is given in the table ahead.

Incarnation	Whose Incarnation?	Incarnation	Whose Incarnation?
A. In the context of Shrikrushṇa
Dēvak	Gandharvaraj	Vasudēv	Kashyap
Dēvaki	Aditi	Balarām	Adishēsh
Shrīkrushṇa	Vishṇu, Sage Nārāyaṇ	Gopāl	Subordinate Deities
The cows	Sages	Rādhā	Indra's queen Shachi*
Rukmiṇi	Ādimāyā	Pradyumna	Sanatkumar
Kansa	Kalnemi	Jarāsandha	Viprachitti
Kubjā**	Mantharā	Kēshi	Hayagriv
B. In the context of Kouravs and Pānḍavs
Kunti	Siddhi	Mādri	Dhruti
Drupad	Varuṇ	Dharma (Yudhishṭhir)	Yamadharma
Arjun	Indra, Sage Nara	Bhim	Vāyu (Deity of air)
Nakul-Sahadēv	Ashvinikumar	Droupadi	Pārvati
The five sons of Pānchāli	Vishvedēv	Virāṭ	Marut
Dhrushṭadyumna	Pāvak (Agni)	Māruti***	The eleventh rudra, Shiva

 

      * She had performed austerities so that Shrīvishṇu would love her.
      ** Shrīrām had cursed Mantharā for her bad deeds. When she begged for a mitigation of the curse, Shrīrām had told her that He would uplift her in His next incarnation.
      *** He was seated on the flag hoisted on Arjun’s chariot.

3. Implied meaning of some members of the family and relatives

3.1 The brother: Balarām was Shrīkrushṇa’s brother. He carries a plough shaped like ‘ ८’ (8) the number eight in Sanskrut, in His hand. This implies that He has control over Prakruti consisting of the eight principles. The eight principles of Prakruti are the five basic cosmic elements, the mind, the subconscious mind and the intellect.

3.2 The maternal uncle:  Kansa was the brother of Shrīkrushṇa’s mother. Once when King Ugrasēn had gone on a battle, a demon expressed the desire to have intercourse with his queen, Pavankumāri. In response she said, “I am willing, provided the child born from this union will become an emperor.” The demon agreed to this and so Kansa was born. Kansa thus had a demoniacal rather than a sāttvik (Sattva predominant) attitude unlike King Ugrasēn. Later, Shrīkrushṇa slew Kansa. Literally in arithmetic kansa means a bracket ( ) which symbolises limitation. Since Kansa’s prowess was limited he could not withstand Shrīkrushṇa.

3.3 The wives: Rukmiṇi was Shrīkrushṇa’s chief queen. His seven other main queens were Satyabhāmā, Jāmbavati, Kālindi, Mitravindā, Satya, Bhadrā and Lakshmaṇā. These eight queens  represent the eightfold Prakruti. The implied meaning is that the eight principles are within the control of Shrīkrushṇa. Shrīkrushṇa married the 16,000 princesses imprisoned by Narkāsur after freeing them, so that they acquired social status. The 16,000 princesses represent the 16,000 spiritual energy flow channels (nāḍīs) in the body. Marrying them means activating them.

4. Special features and mission

Shrīkrushṇa is an Absolute incarnation (Purṇāvtār). His special features are given in ‘Science of Spirituality: Vol. 7 - Supreme God, God, Incarnations and Deities’. Actually an Absolute incarnation is not an incarnation but the Supreme God Himself; hence it possesses all the characteristics of the Supreme God .Some special features and missions of Shrīkrushṇa are enumerated ahead.

4.1 Childhood

From birth till the naming: Dēvaki and Vasudēv were the parents of Shrīkrushṇa. On the command of Shrīvishṇu, the Great Illusion (Yogamāyā) placed the seventh child of Dēvaki in the womb of Vasudēv’s second wife, Rohiṇi and Herself entered the womb of Dēvaki. After birth when Kansa came to kill Her, She escaped from his clutches and left for Her abode. Shrīkrushṇa is Dēvaki’s eighth child. After He was born,Vasudēv took Him to the home of Nandā and Yashodā in Gokul. Vasudēv also sent Rohiṇi along with her son to Gokul. The priest of the Yadu dynasty,

Sage Garga at the request of Vasudēv, secretly performed the naming ceremony of both the children, Rohini’s son as Rām and Dēvaki’s as Krushṇa. Later Rām came to be known as Balarām because of the tremendous strength that He possessed.

Childhood for only seven years: Shrīkrushṇa went to Mathura to slay Kansa at the age of seven years. It was then that His childhood ended.

The region on the outskirts of Mathura is called Vraj (व्रज). ‘व्रजन्‍ति गावो यस्‍मिन्‍निति व्रज:|’

means the place where cattle graze and roam is Vraj. Since Infant Shrīkrushṇa’s divine play took place here, this place is said to be sacred.

Intelligent: After the slaying of Kansa and the thread ceremony, Balarām and Shrīkrushṇa went to the āshram of Guru Sāndipani in the city of Avanti. There within a span of sixty-four days He learnt the fourteen types of sciences (vidyās) and the sixty-four arts (kalās). Generally to learn one science one requires to study for 2-21/2 years.

Elders heeding His advice: He was close even to people who were much older than Him. At the age of just seven Shrīkrushṇa did not allow the milkmaids to go to Mathura because He did not want the money that was procured by selling milk to evil Kansa. Since then, the elders began to heed His advice and He proved true to their faith.

Bestower of spiritual experiences

A. Once the cowherds (gopās) told Yashodā, “Krushṇa has swallowed mud.” So, she asked Shrīkrushṇa to open His mouth. When He opened it, she got the vision of the entire universe in it. This example illustrates how an incarnation carries out its mission even in childhood.

B. On a moonlit night in autumn (sharad) He performed the rāsa dance (rāsakridā) with the gopīs (wives of the cowherds) in Gokul. At that time they experienced Bliss (Brahmānand).

4.2 Physical:

Shrīkrushṇa’s beauty was unparalleled. All would get enticed by it.

4.3 Historical:

To capture Shrīkrushṇa, Jarāsandha’s armies surrounded Mathura eighteen times. Nowhere in the world have so many attempts been made to capture an individual. Kansa ferried 280 elephants on wooden rafts across the Yamunā river. He surrounded Mathura for three months, but Shrīkrushṇa could not be captured because He would change His home everyday. Apart from this the thousand children living in Mathura also wore peacock feathers in their hair to resemble Shrīkrushṇa. Kansa’s soldiers assaulted them, yet they did not reveal ‘who the real Shrīkrushṇa was’.

4.4 Familial

• The ideal son: Shrīkrushṇa behaved in a way which pleased both His parents, Vasudēv and Dēvaki, and His guardians Nandā and Yashodā.
• The ideal brother: Shrīkrushṇa would respect His elder brother, Balarām.
• The ideal husband: When it is so difficult to please just one wife, Shrīkrushṇa could please 16,008 wives! Nārad’s attempts to create strife between them failed.
• The ideal father: When His sons behaved unrighteously, He Himself slew them during the battle of the Yadus.
• The ideal friend: Shrīkrushṇa affectionately welcomed His poverty-stricken childhood friend Sudāmā even when He became the ruler of Dwarka. Due to His friendship with the Pānḍavs, He constantly rushed to their aid. The Pānḍavs worshipped Shrīkrushṇa as a friend (sākhyabhaktī).

4.5 A lover of arts

Shrīkrushṇa loved the arts of dance, music, etc. and was an expert in them. His playing of the flute and His performance of the rāsa dance (rāsakridā) are famous. Even the animals and birds would get enticed when He played the flute.

4.6 Social

1. The one who did not tolerate injustice (valorous): Shrīkrushṇa either fought Himself or assisted others in fighting the injustice caused by Kansa, Jarāsandha, the Kouravs, etc.

2. The one who was conscientious about His duties towards society: Realising that the 16,000 princesses released from Narkāsur’s prison would not have any social standing which would result in several problems, Shrīkrushṇa married them.

3. The one who worked for the welfare of others: Some people criticise Shrīkrushṇa. However all that He did was for others’ welfare. At times, He even broke norms, for instance,slaying Jarāsandha, during the abduction of Subhadrā so that she could marry Arjun, marrying the 16,000 women, etc. During the Bhāratiya war, He had pledged that ‘He would not wield a weapon’. Yet to fulfill Bhishmāchārya’s vow that ‘I will make Krushṇa wield a weapon’, Shrīkrushṇa broke His vow and attacked Bhishmāchārya with a weapon (a wheel).

4. The one who guided others for the welfare of society:‘Protection of society was His objective and He had realised that it was necessary to annihilate the troublemakers and evildoers to achieve this end. Destruction of evildoers is never possible by remaining steadfast unto truth and purity alone. Realising this sad shortcoming in the history of mankind, to protect truth and purity they have to be curbed in worldly interactions. If that is not done, then in this lawless world, cruel demons triumph, society deteriorates and the subjects are destroyed. This was the firm decision of His intellect. It is because of this that many a time “Often the untruth seems superior to the truth”, “One has to give up Righteousness(Dharma) and fight”, “Bhimsen will not be successful if he fights righteously, it is essential to fight unrighteously”, etc. is the advice that He often preached.’

4.7 An expert politician

1. An excellent orator: With His eloquent speeches, Shrīkrushṇa was able to win over several people to the camp of the Pānḍavs.

2. An ideal ambassador: Shrīkrushṇa presented the case of the Pānḍavs in the royal court of the Kouravs in an excellent manner.

3. The one who made good use of psychology:At the opportune moment Shrīkrushṇa told Karṇa the secret of his birth and thus upset his mental composure.

4.8 Regarding battles

1. An expert in warfare:

A. A master in archery: Akin to Arjun, Shrīkrushṇa won over His queen Lakshmaṇā by striking the eye of a fish with His arrow.
B. A master in wielding the mace: Shrīkrushṇa slew Vakradanta in a fight using maces.
C. A master wrestler: Shrīkrushṇa slew Chāṇur in a fist fight (mushṭyuddha).

2. Brave and valiant: Shrīkrushṇa slew several evil monarchs and demons possessing illusory powers.

3. Brave: Though Jarāsandha and Kālyavan, two powerful kings attacked at the same time, Shrīkrushṇa bravely protected the Yādavs.

4. An excellent charioteer: In the Bhāratiya war Shrīkrushṇa skillfully steered Arjun’s chariot.

4.9 Selfless

Shrīkrushṇa slew Kansa and several other kings, established the golden city of Dwarka, yet did not ascend the throne. Despite this, undoubtedly He was the uncrowned emperor of His times.

4.10 Polite

During the rājasūya sacrificial fire (yadnya) of the Panḍavs, Shrīkrushṇa washed the feet of the Brāhmaṇs and even cleared up leftovers of food in others’ plates.

4.11 A great philosopher

The philosophy preached by Shrīkrushṇa is given in the Gita. ‘In His philosophy Shrīkrushṇa has shown the appropriate admixture of attachment and detachment. He has accepted the Path of Action (Karmayoga) according to the Vēdas, Path of Knowledge according to the Sānkhya philosophy, suppression of the tendencies of the subconscious mind according to the Path of Yoga and renunciation (sannyās) according to the Vēdānt, but has opposed the view that each one of them is the ultimate by itself as proposed by them. He balanced the appropriate significant part of each one harmoniously and created a new doctrine based on actions devoid of expectations or results. In the Bhagvadgitā,He has mainly preached how one should carry out one’s duty. The scriptures decide what one’s duties should be, but He has explained excellently how to execute them well. In the Bhagvadgitā He has narrated to Arjun how to convert attachment to detachment and vice versa and how man should execute his duties.’

4.12 The Guru

Shrīkrushṇa eliminated Arjun’s doubts by narrating the Gita to him verbally and imparting him with spiritual experiences which are beyond words. During the Bhāratiya war Shrīkrushṇa had adopted the dnyānmudrā (mudrā of knowledge).

4.13 The one with the attributes of God

1. Supernatural powers and a peacock feather: Shrīkrushṇa had eighteen supernatural powers in all, eight being the eight great supernatural powers (ashṭamahāsiddhis) - His eight wives and the rest His own (God’s) ten supernatural powers. It was with one of these supernatural powers that Shrīkrushṇa assuming a form of the provider of clothes saved Droupadi’s honour by providing clothing to her when she was being stripped in the court of the Kouravs.

The centre of minute observation is the focus of suprasensory energy. When it gets activated the house of Vaishvānar and the horoscope in it assume the form of a peacock feather. The peacock feather adorned by Shrīkrushṇa signified that this centre in Him was perpetually active. For more information on this refer ‘Science of Spirituality: Vol. 18 - Path of Activation of Spiritual Energy (Kunḍaliniyoga) and Path of Transfer of Energy (Shaktipātyoga)’.

2. A lover of all living beings: When the king of bears Jambuvant, requested Shrīkrushṇa to marry his daughter Jāmbavati, despite opposition from others, He married her. It is difficult for one to even conceive of such an idea.

4.14 Effects of His Special features

The following examples will illustrate the effects of all His special features on others.

1. In the Bhāratiya war, no one ventured to attack Shrīkrushṇa. The other charioteers were attacked.

2. After the war, there was a conversation between a vulture and a fox about the deceased. In it, they have discussed the faults of all men, including those of Yudhishṭhir; but not a single one of Shrīkrushṇa.

 

Reference: 'Vishnu and His forms', Published by Sanatan Sanstha

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